Kashinath Ghosh, a farmer from Harinkhola under Asarpur 1 No. Gram Panchayat in Arambagh, performed a Krishak Puja in a traditional manner to honour fellow farmers who practise organic agriculture, on Tuesday.
Mr Ghosh has been felicitated and awarded at the block, district, state and national levels for promoting and encouraging organic farming. Speaking on the occasion, he said that he has been advocating organic farming from the very beginning and that his sincere efforts have now been recognised at various levels.
He added that his continuous efforts to spread awareness about organic farming are yielding positive results, with many farmers from the Arambagh sub-division approaching him for guidance. He has advised them to strictly follow organic methods of cultivation to protect human health from serious diseases caused by the consumption of grains, vegetables and fruits grown using toxic chemical fertilisers and highly poisonous insecticides and pesticides.
“Our objective is to preserve the natural fertility of the soil, maintain ecological balance and protect the food chain,” he said. According to him, the use of organic manure has helped restore the natural habitat of earthworms, snails and other insects, which loosen the soil and allow atmospheric nitrogen to penetrate it, completing the natural process of soil nitrification and thereby increasing fertility. At present, many farmers are playing a vital role in supplying organic food items for daily consumption, he added.
Mr Ghosh further said that the collective efforts of farmers engaged in organic farming often go unnoticed and unrecognised. “That is why I decided to perform the Krishak Puja to honour, felicitate and encourage them. Farmers never stop cultivating crops even when they incur huge losses due to inclement weather or receive very low prices from wholesale buyers,” he said.
Some of the farmers honoured on the occasion, including Rabindranath Mondal, Paresh Nandi, Raghunath Nandi and Pinaki Modha, said they were overwhelmed by the gesture.
They said Mr Ghosh worshipped them following traditional rituals and that, on the occasion, they renewed their pledge to continue practising organic farming and to spread the message among other farmers.